scourge's daughter
by deathwing987
Summary: heres my latest stoy! read and review!x)
1. Chapter 1

**prologue**

"Yellowfang," A young gray she-cat mewed at the sight of her former mentor. "Have you a message for me?"  
"Cinderpelt," Yellowfang greeted the young medicine cat, her eyes shining with wisdom and starlight. "A raincloud shall place the paws of the Clan on the path of survival."

"What do you mean?" Cinderpelt asked anxiously. StarClan has never spoken so clearly to her before, and that worried her. "Is ThunderClan in danger?"  
" I meant what I said: A raincloud shall place the paws of the Clan on the path of survival." Yellowfang repeated the prophecy once, and then bounded up into the starry sky.

"Wait!" Cinderpelt yowled after the StarClan warrior. "Don't leave me!" But Yellowfang has already disappeared into the night sky. A wave of despair washed over Cinderpelt. Surely the Clan couldn't be in more danger than it has been when the dog pack roamed the forest. Would the Clan make it through yet another challenge, with the cold, unforgiving leafbare closing its jaws around them?


	2. Chapter 2

**chapter 1**

"Mother," I whimpered. "Don't throw me out."  
"Rain, you know the rules." My mother growled. Although she tried to sound harsh, her green eyes were filled with sadness. I was the only survivor out of her four kits. "Get out."

I decided to go find my father. When I was little, my mother took me to his den at times. He's the leader. His name is Scourge. I would have to use my tracking skills, which wasn't easy in the stinky Twolegplace, but I could always try.

I found my way to the Twoleg park where I met my father. I found his scent. It was fading, but it was his scent. Trusting my nose, I ran through a maze of Thunderpaths, Twoleg nests, and piles of Twoleg rubbish, until I found one of those huge green boxes that Twolegs contain their rubbish in. Under there, was Scourge's den.

"Father?" I asked tentatively, peering into the shadows. No one answered. "Father?" I asked again, louder this time. "Scourge?"  
"He won't be here," a voice growled behind me. I spun around to face a large black and white tom.  
"Greetings, Bone," I mewed, dipping my head respectively to the second in command.  
"Who are you?" Bone asked, more aggressively this time.  
"I am Rain," I answered.  
"Scourge's daughter?" The large tom's amber eyes lit up immediately, and he sounded friendlier.  
"Yes…"  
"How many moons are you? You don't look old enough to be out here on your own." He sounded concerned.  
"I'm twelve moons old," I meowed, trying my best to sound older and more mature. I could feel myself blush with embarrassment.

"Rain, is that you?" a black tom stepped out from the shadows in the Twoleg rubbish piles. "Father!" I squealed, relieved, then I quickly scolded myself for sounding like a kit.

"Are you twelve moons yet?" Scourge sounded suspicious.  
"Yes," I mewed. "Mother told me to find a place to live, but I wanted to come find you first."  
Scourge beckoned to me with his tail. I trotted to his side obediently; I knew what Scourge was capable of doing. He leaped to the top of the Twoleg rubbish box. Scourge leaped up some piles of Twoleg rubbish on top of the rubbish box, and onto a wall. I followed him.

Wow! I had never seen the Twolegplace like this before! It's so big, and there are so many cats! I couldn't believe that it was my father who ruled over all these cats, and… they're all scared of him. "One day," Scourge meowed to me, his ice blue gaze filled with pride. "One day, you will rule over these cats. You will be the leader of BloodClan!"

The thought of being as powerful as my father was tempting; to have all those cats out there fear and follow me seemed like the best thing I could ever want. Scourge chose me to be his successor. Not Bone, but me, tiny little Rain, because I am his daughter. Because I have what it takes to command the feline population in the Twolegplace!


	3. Chapter 3

**chapter 2 **

"Deal with these two," Scourge growled at me over his shoulder. The two kittypets cowered at the sight of me, with my claws were reinforced with dogs' teeth and the furious gleam in my sky blue eyes. Just before he left, Scourge whispered in my ear. "Don't kill them. Let them spread the word among the kittypets about us. Those cowards won't dare to take a pawstep out of their Twoleg nests." I nodded, showing that I understood.

Snarling, I turned back to the kittypets. Both of them were light brown tabbies, and around twelve moons old. The she-cat turned towards the tom, her green eyes wide and terrified. The tom wasn't much better; he was wailing like a kit. I raked my reinforced claws down the tom's flank. He yowled with pain, and tears streamed out from his eyes.

"Think that was hard, kittypet?" I hissed. "Think again." The kittypets mewled like kits. I bit the she-cat's ear, and let them scamper off, but not without giving them a scratch down their sides to remind them of BloodClan. "Never come near BloodClan again!" I yowled after them.

Scourge looked proudly at me. After many moons of training with Scourge, I was finally a skillful fighter, a good leader, and was great at finding food in the Twolegplace. I was also one of the most attractive she-cats in the Clan. "Well fought." My father meowed, his eyes gleaming. Other cats said that Scourge was cold and mean, but I disagree – he was definitely not mean to me. I was the only cat he was kind to, and that gave me a kind of superior rank.

"Rain!" a young black and white tom ran towards me, his eyes bright. It was Bone's son, Shade. He has recently proved his affection for me. "That was great," he mewed. "Those cowardly kittypets won't dare to come near the Twolegplace anytime soon."  
"It's more than that," I mewed. "They'll spread the word about BloodClan, and we'll have the whole territory to ourselves."

"Come to my den," Scourge ordred me. I gave Shade's ear a flick with my pale grey tail, and followed Scourge. "That wasn't a great fight, but you did well in threatening those kittypets," Scourge spat out the last word with disgust. I don't know what happened to my father when he was young, but he had a deep grudge with forest cats and kittypets.

"Recently, some forest cats have come to me, seeking help," he continued. "Their leader, Tigerstar, has asked me to help him fight his enemies in the forest. Once they are defeated, he said that we can take part of the territory, but I have a better plan." Scourge's eyes glinted evilly. "We can kill Tigerstar and have the whole forest to ourselves!"  
"That's a great plan, Father," I meowed eagerly. "When will we go to the forest?"  
"When they send us word," The black tom answered.

"Rain, I've been discussing with Bone about you and Shade mating," Scourge mewed. "We think that you would, of course, be leader, and Shade will be your second in command." Take Shade as a mate? Of course not! We spend our kithood together; he was like a brother to me. How could I mate with my brother?

On the other hand, if I rejected Scourge, he would be very, very, very furious with me, and when Scourge gets furious, he usually kills. Somehow, I just have to escape this disaster. And the only solution that came to my mind was running away.


	4. Chapter 4

**chapter 3**

"Goodbye," I murmured over my shoulder as I sneaked away from the Twolegplace. I was leaving behind everything I had ever known in my life, as well as all my dreams and ambitions since kithood. All my friends, my mother and father… I would never see them again. I started stepping into the forest.

Suddenly, a mass of dark tabby fur flew at me. My fighting instinct took over, and I landed him a blow on the side of his head. The tom scratched at my belly, and I screeched in pain. He pinned me down and bit my ear. "Stop, we need an explanation!" A voice yowled loudly. It was a handsome flame coloured tom.

"What are you doing here?" the tabby tom snarled at me menacingly. The orange tom about four seasons older than me stood with a gray tom and a pale ginger she-cat at his side. "Don't you know that this is ThunderClan territory?" the tabby continued.

"Dustpelt, she's obviously not a Clan cat." The orange tom pointed out. "Are you a kittypet?" He asked, turning to me.  
"No, I'm a warrior of BloodClan," I meowed, drawing myself up to my full height. "My father is Scourge, the leader of BloodClan." I expected them to tremble with fear at the sound of Scourge's name, but their faces were blank.

"Since you're a Clan cat, you're trespassing on our territory." The dark tabby, Dustpelt, growled. "Get off our territory now!" Although I was a skilled fighter, I knew that it would be suicidal to try fighting four full-grown cats with lean muscles and battle-scared pelts.

"Wait," The orange tom ordered. "BloodClan sounds too suspicious. We've got to take her back to camp."  
"Very well," Dustpelt agreed. "But when her father tries to attack us, just to get this mouse brained she-cat off, don't say that I didn't warn you." The group of four fell into position around me, to make sure I didn't try to escape. My sharp ears picked up the ginger she-cat's whisper to the orange tom. "Firestar, what do you think about this BloodClan? StarClan decreed that there had to be four Clans the forest, didn't they?"  
"I don't know," Firestar admitted. "I want to ask Cinderpelt for advice." I saw the she-cat stiffen, and she fell silent, glaring silently at the ground.

Suddenly, I realized that I scented a large number of cats nearby. I thought that it must be a meeting of some kind. But I couldn't spot any dens around the forest we moved through. Did these cats sleep out in the open, without any dens or nests?

But when we padded through a gorse tunnel, I saw a large number of cats lying in a large clearing, grooming each other. Firestar glanced towards a fluffy gray she-cat mewing something to a she-cat with two kits bouncing around her. The fluffy she-cat met Firestar's gaze, and limped rapidly to his side. "Graystripe," Firestar meowed, addressing the gray tom. "Take her over to the other end of the elder's den. Yellowfang's old den." He flicked his tail towards me.

Graystripe nodded, and I followed him to the end of a fallen log. "You can stay here for the time being." I stayed there obediently; what if these cats were like Scourge? What if they killed me?


	5. Chapter 5

chapter 4

"Where are you from?" Firestar asked me. He and an elderly white tom named Whitestorm had gathered around me, and were obviously demanding an explanation.  
"I'm from the Twolegplace," I mewed. I chose to be truthful; after all, these cats might be as ruthless as Scourge, or my future Clanmates, if I choose to lead a life in the forest. "My name is Rain."

"Why are you here?" that was Whitestorm. He was what the forest cats called a "deputy", which, as far as I can tell, is a second in command.  
"I'll only tell you if you don't send me back to the Twolegplace." I mewed. The two cats exchanged a glance, and Firestar spoke. "Very well."  
"I'm running away from home."  
Firestar looked surprised, but Whitestorm was listening with a thoughtful expression. "Go on," he urged me.  
"My father, Scourge, wants me to mate with his second in command's son,"

"Scourge…" Firestar meowed. "You mentioned that he's the leader of BloodClan when we first met you."  
"He is."  
"And BloodClan?"  
"That's my Clan." I answered. "But I'm not going to return."

"You won't be," Firestar meowed. "We're going to keep you here, until we decide what to do with you."  
"So you're not going to kill me?" I blurted out, surprised. Surely a prisoner will only mean a loss of food for the whole Clan.  
"ThuderClan warriors are not murderers." Firestar hissed at me. "If killing is what your Clan does, then you do not follow the warrior code."

"The warrior code?" I have never heard of such a thing in my whole life. "What's that?"  
"All the Clans follow the warrior code, which has been set down by StarClan many seasons ago." Whitestorm answered. "Do you not know of it? You lived in a Clan, didn't you?"  
"It's very different from this one."

"You have wounds," Firestar meowed. "Do you need something to treat them with?"  
"I… I licked them," I replied, puzzled. _Will they throw me out because of this?_ Although I was Scourge's daughter, my Clanmates in BloodClan would throw me out because of my injuries.

"Of course not!" Firestar looked as though that was the most horrifying thing he could think of doing. "We are not cold-blooded murderers. Our medicine cat will treat them for you. Her den is over there." He nodded his head towards an opening in a large boulder.

I padded over, and saw the fluffy grey she-cat Firestar talked to earlier sitting in there, sorting herbs. This time, I saw the reason of her limp – one of her back legs was twisted. I wondered why she was allowed to stay in the Clan. "Cinderpelt, this is Rain," Firestar mewed at her. "I'll explain everything later. Cinderpelt nodded at him, then turned to me. "I'll put a marigold poultice on your wounds. It'll hurt a little, but it'll stop infection."

She put a sort of sharp smelling poultice on my wounds. It stung, but in a good sort of way, as though it was helping my wounds to heal. I realized that she was only a bit older than me, but she was wiser than most cats our age. While she worked, she explained Clan ways to me. So all weak cats had to be taken care of, and she, the medicine cat, was the cat whose job was to take care of her Clanmates' wounds, and interpret the signs StarClan sends her. StarClan are the Clan cats' ancestors. After Firestar finished questioning me, he went to see Cinderpelt.

***

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Firestar was standing on a large rock. As he yowled these words, all the cats got up, and sat down beneath the rock, looking up at their leader expectantly. At Firestar's command, Graystripe fetched me from my makeshift den, and led me to sit at the foot of the rock.

"You all know that we have a prisoner here." Firestar continued. Every cats' eyes were turned on me. "Her name is Rain. We have decided to keep her here for a moon, maybe more."  
"What happens after that?" A golden brown tom yowled loudly.  
"Is she a rogue?" A white tom called.

"No, Cloudtail, she is a warrior from a Clan in the Twolegplace," Firestar answered the white tom's question. "As for your question, Brackenfur," the leader turned towards the golden brown warrior. "I don't know the answer."

The Clan broke up into small groups, discussing Firestar's decision of keeping me here. "Hi," mewed a voice shyly, making me jump. It took me a moment to take in the young white and ginger she-cat's face – it was badly scarred, and she was missing an ear and an eye. "My name is Brightheart," she continued. "Firestar asked me to make sure you feel comfortable in your den."

I nodded, and padded at her side as she headed for my den, trying hard not to flinch at the sight of her scars "I'll ask one of the apprentices to get you moss," Brightheart mewed. She bounded off to a large bush. Apprentices... Cinderpelt told me about them, they're young cats training to be warriors.

As I curled up to sleep in my nest that night, I hoped desperately that Firestar will accept me into the Clan.


	6. Chapter 6

chapter 5

I have been with ThunderClan for a whole moon now, and my fate is still undecided. But if I could join this Clan, I would. I have hunted and patrolled with the Clan, and I have made friends with Brightheart and Cinerpelt, and Cinderpelt seems sure that Firestar will let me join the Clan.

Yawning, I rose from my nest, and padded to the foot of the Highrock for the Clan meeting. "Cats of ThunderClan," Firestar was meowing. "Cinderpelt has received StarClan's approval of letting Rain join our Clan. He leaped down from the Highrock. "I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this loner. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He spoke to me. "Rain, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," I meowed confidently. So that's why Cinderpelt was so certain! She received a sign from StarClan!  
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name: Rain, from this moment you will be known as Raincloud. StarClan honors your courage and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."  
Firestar rested his muzzle on my head. I licked my leader's shoulder, then retreated into the crowd of warriors. "Raincloud! Raincloud!" they were yowling. How different this place was from BloodClan.

"In the tradition of our ancestors," Firestar raised his voice to be heard. "Raincloud will sit in silent vigil until dawn, guarding the camp alone while we sleep."

Finally! I was accepted into the Clan! Brightheart pressed her pelt against mine, and Cinderpelt yowled my name loudly. Graystripe was cheering with equal enthusiasm. This surprised me, as he has never shown much interest in me before. Shrugging this question away, I bathed in my Clanmate's encouragement, and I knew that I finally found where my loyalties lay.


	7. Chapter 7

chapter 6

"Hey, Raincloud," Cinderpelt limped out of her den, her fur sticking out of her messily, as though she haven't groomed herself. Firestar bounded out from his den. "Go and groom yourself," he told her. "You look like a kit," he teased. Cinderpelt hissed playfully at him, but did as she was told. "Congratulations, Raincloud," she called over her shoulder. I had to keep my silent vigil, so I flicked my tail in acknowledgement. "You can speak now," Firestar meowed to me. "The sun has risen, so your vigil is over."

I stood up and stretched myself. My legs were stiff from sitting all night, and they yowled their complaints as I made my way to Cinderpelt's den. To my surprise, Brightheart was there, mewing excitedly to Cinderpelt. The medicine cat looked up when she heard me. Brightheart bounded to my side, and a flow of words erupted from her. "Raincloud, congratulations, you're a warrior!" Her news blurted out of her, her green eye shining excitedly. "This morning Cloudtail came to the elder's den to see me, and you know what he told me?" Without waiting for an answer, she squealed like a kit: "He loves me!"

"You're lucky, you know," Cinderpelt told her, her eyes shining wistfully. "You love him, and he loves you back. Some cats can't have that."  
Brightheart ignored her sister, and turned to me. "Want to go hunting?"  
"Sure," I answered. "I'm looking forward to my first patrol as a warrior." Then I noticed that Cinderpelt was fiddling her herbs, her eyes clouded with emotion, so many that I can't count. "You want to go collecting herbs together later?" I asked her, but I don't think she heard me. Her eyes were unfocused and tears were starting to collect in them. "Come on, let's go!" Brightheart called from outside, and so, casting one last glance at my friend, I padded outside.

"Come on!" Brightheart repeated impatiently. "What took you so long?" Just as I was about to reply, a gray shape running towards us grabbed my attention, and I turned to see Graystripe. "Where are you going?"  
"Hunting," I replied, surprised that the gray warrior would take any interest in what two young she-cats were doing.  
"Can I go with you?" he asked, his amber gaze fixed on me.  
"Okay," I mewed, surprising myself as a warm, happy feeling spread from my ears to tail tip.

"Brightheart!" Cloudtail raced to the white and ginger she-cat's side. "Want to do some battle training?"  
"Okay, " Brightheart touched his flank affectionately with her nose. "I'll be in the training hollow in a second. Sorry, Raincloud," she added, turning to me.  
"It's okay," I purred. It was natural for Brightheart to want to spend more time with Cloudtail. "I'll hunt with Graystripe."

I padded through the fronds of bracken after Graystripe. Spotting a squirrel nibbling at a nut, I dropped into the hunter's crouch, sneaking up to my prey from downwind. The squirrel suddenly looked up, and saw me. Immediately, I pounced. The squirrel was dead in less than a heartbeat. "Good catch," Graystripe meowed, his eyes glowing with admiration. I dipped my head to him, thankful that the squirrel in my jaws gave me an excuse not to answer, and covered it up with some leaves and dirt.

"Do you scent something?" Graystripe asked suddenly. Surprised, I sniffed the air. _BloodClan!_ The thought came to me, loud and clear. "What are _they_ doing here?" I hissed furiously.  
"Who?" Graystripe looked puzzled. "You know whose this scent is?"  
"Yes, it's BloodClan," I replied, trying to make out individual scents of my former Clanmates. _Bone, Snake, Ice, and… Shade!_"We've got to tell Firestar!" I gasped. This could not be anything good, I was sure of it. Graystripe nodded agreement, and we raced back to camp, all thoughts of hunting forgotten.

"You said you scented BloodClan?" Firestar asked me.  
"Yes, but they never showed much interest in the forest." I answered. But suddenly, I remembered something my father told me the day he told me about mating Shade and me. _We can kill Tigerstar and have the whole forest to ourselves!_ However, I decided not to tell Firestar about that yet. I didn't want to think about BloodClan conquering the forest; I didn't want to think about BloodClan destroying my Clan. It was as if thinking about it would make it come true.


	8. Chapter 8

chapter 7

"Shade!" I hissed. I knew he was there. "Come out, it's me, Rain!" Using hunting as an excuse, I had come to Tallpines, hoping to see Shade. I wanted to know what my father's plans were. I needed to know, for the sake of my Clanmates.  
"Rain!" Shade bounded out of the shadows, and touched his nose to mine. "Where have you been? Scourge sent many cats to look for you! He even promised a whole quarter moon of food as a reward for the cat that found you. And yesterday, Scourge sent me, Father, Ice, and Snake into the forest to check the place out. I was sure that I found your scent, but Father said that you couldn't possibly go into the forest, so I didn't follow you." He paused, his amber eyes fixed intently on mine. "Why did you leave?"

"I… " I paused. I couldn't tell Shade that I ran away because of him, not when I knew his feelings for me. "I had to." Shade looked unsatisfied, but to my relief, he didn't question my decision anymore. "Come home," he mewed.  
"I can't," I told him. "I've got a home here now. I'm a warrior of ThunderClan. I've waited so long for them to accept me into their Clan."  
"But what about BloodClan?" Shade protested. "You're Scourge's successor, aren't you? How can you just _leave_ like that?"  
"I'm sorry, Shade, I know that you want me to go back, but I'm loyal to ThunderClan now. I can't bear what Father's doing. He's so ruthless. I can't stand it anymore."

"I'd better go," Shade mewed abruptly.  
"Shade, wait - " I started to mew, but he interrupted me. "They'll be wondering where I've gone." And casting one last anguished glance at me, he raced back to Twolegplace.

Why wouldn't Shade listen to me!? Couldn't he see Scourge's a tyrant? He could kill a cat with one skilled flick of his claws, if they were reinforced with dogs' teeth. The murdered cat would a die a horrible death. I've seen him do it, and I don't want to see it ever again. Closing my eyes, I let my mind drift back to my memories:

_"You took food from Twolegs?" Scourge's voice was a snarl of fury.  
"Yes, Scourge, but – "  
"Silence!" My father cut across Brick's words. The whole of BloodClan gathered around them. On every cat's face was an expression of disgust and hate. Not even Bone, Brick's father, would stand up for his son. Not after he had done such a thing. And I, standing at Bone's side in front of the assembled cats, wanted to rip the fur right off the traitor's back. But what my father did was much, much more terrible than that._

"Scourge, I can explain – " Brick spoke up once again, but Scourge rounded on him, his blue eyes blazing. "You dare question my orders?" he hissed with a terrifying, cold-blooded calmness. At this, Brick knew that he was in deep, deep trouble, and so did all of BloodClan. There was only one path for cats who dared to defy Scourge's orders. Cats who were traitors like Brick.

Scourge lifted a paw, his unsheathed claws glinting eerily in the light of the Twoleg lights, and scratched it down Brick's belly. Blood welled from the long scratch, and Brick's limbs jerked violently, then, after many long moments, they fell still abruptly, and it was all over. That was what happened to cats who were against Scourge.

My eyes popped open. After reliving the memory, I felt the same way as I did then – bile rising in my throat, my jaw dropped open, my whole body trembling, and my legs felt weak. Back then, I had did what I could in controlling my emotions and not let my shock show, as I was Scourge's daughter, and all of BloodClan could see me. Here, I was alone, and no cat would know it if I did anything embarrassing. So I sank to the forest floor, and vomited. I don't want to witness a death as horrible as Brick's ever again.

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	9. Chapter 9

chapter 8

I raced into camp, and, ignoring the stares my Clanmates were giving me, bounded to the foot of the Highrock. Peering through the lichen, I caught a glimpse of Firestar and Sandstorm sharing tongues inside. "Firestar!" I called. The leader raised his head, and mewed. "Raincloud, is that you? Come in."

Tentatively, I stepped inside the cool, shadowy den. "Firestar, I know Scourge's plan. He told me when – " I paused, taking a deep breath. "When I was a BloodClan cat." Hurriedly, I told Firestar what I knew – that Scourge will kill Tigerstar and take over the forest. Firestar listened to me, his green eyes troubled. I ended my explanations with how Scourge would kill Tigerstar. Firestar nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Raincloud, we needed to know that. I'll talk it over with Whitestorm and the other senior warriors." Dipping my head respectfully, I mewed a goodbye, and backed out of the leader's den.

"Raincloud!" Graystripe called me over. "I saw you go into Firestar's den. Is everything all right?" he asked, giving me a tender lick. Once again, I told him what I knew of Scourge's plans. "That's why I went to see Firestar," I finished.  
"Don't worry about it," Graystripe told me. "Come on, let's go hunting." All of a sudden, a cat crashed through the gorse tunnel, his fur was matted with drying blood, and more of it oozed out of a long scratch along his flank. It was Mudclaw of WindClan. "What's the matter?" Firestar gasped, coming out of his den.  
"TigerClan… attacking us… camp…" The WindClan warrior gasped, as though he was fighting for breath, and sank to the ground. "Firestar… help us… please…"

Firestar rounded up some of his warriors – Graystripe, Sandstorm, Brackenfur, Cloudtail, Dustpelt, and Ashpaw. I wanted to go, but Firestar ordered me to stay in camp to protect us, just in case TigerClan warriors attacked us as well. I noticed that the fresh-kill pile was low, so I went hunting. To my surprise, my paws brought me to the Twolegplace. I sniffed the air, trying to find prey scent, but my scent glands detected BloodClan. Scourge! I knew his scent anywhere. His voice was carried to me on the breeze. "So, Fang. What do you think of this territory? Will BloodClan prosper from it?"  
"Yes, Father," A voice mewed. Father! I sniffed the air. It was a tom. So I have a little brother? I didn't even know I had siblings!

"'Yes' is not a good answer, if you are to be the leader of BloodClan," Scourge growled at Fang. "Why will this be a good place for BloodClan to live in?" Fang paused, and I could sense the awkward silence between father and son. I crept closer, dropping into the hunter's crouch to hide myself, and made sure I was downwind, so the BloodClan cats couldn't scent me. Fang was black, just like Scourge, but his eyes were amber instead of blue. And I could sense that Scourge didn't like him as much as he liked me.

"There's a lot of prey here," Fang mewed anxiously.  
"That's not the only reason to extend our territory," Scourge growled at him. I could tell that he was unimpressed, and very annoyed. And he should be annoyed! The answer to Scourge's question was obvious – The forest was a good place for BloodClan to live, because there was a lot of prey, and a lot of space for BloodClan, who lived in cramped conditions. Easy!

Suddenly, the breeze changed direction, and I was upwind. "Rain?" Scourge called hopefully. He scented me. I tried to back away silently, but my paw brushed a leaf. Scourge's eyes met mine. "Rain! It is you!" He bounded forwards, and licked my face as though I was a tiny kit. "I thought you were dead! Come back to the Clan!"  
"Father," I meowed. I had never thought that I would see him again, and I was surprised by his show of emotions as he greeted me. If I were another BloodClan warrior who ran away, Scourge would doubtlessly kill me the same way he kills traitors. But he was willing to accept me back into the Clan. "I belong to a different Clan now. ThunderClan." The words slipped out of me. I had tried to hold them in, but they forced their way out. I waited in silent dread for Scourge to kill me.

But instead he mewed. "Then return to your birth Clan. You are my successor." At this, Fang opened his mouth to protest, but obviously thought better of it, as he shut his jaws again.  
"I can't come back, Father. I'm sorry." I meowed, then turned tail and sprinted through the woods.  
"Rain! Rain, come back!" I heard Scourge yowl after me, but I ignored him. I had to get away. Get away from BloodClan. Get away from Scourge. Get away from the past, and focus on the future that was ThunderClan.

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	10. Chapter 10

chapter 9

I followed my leader to Fourtrees, dropping back to pad at Graystripe's side. I saw fear in his amber eyes, the same fear that was in my heart, and so, I pushed my muzzle against his, comforting him, and trying to soothe my own fears with the warmth of being near him.

Tigerstar had told ThunderClan and WindClan to meet TigerClan at Fourtrees today. As I watched, Tigerstar told us about Scourge and BloodClan. I spent my time trying to figure out where all the over BloodClan warriors were. I was sure that only half of them were at Fourtrees. _Never show the enemy all our ranks on the first meeting. Make them think they can fight. In the battle, bring all your cats, but make half of them hide around the battlefield. If we are doing badly, part of our cats will come out from hiding. If the enemy is weakening, part of our warriors will come out from hiding, and finish the enemy up. Either way, BloodClan wins! _That was what Scourge told me when I was a BloodClan warrior. That was his tactic.

Some of my Clanmates think that they're kittypets, but they're wrong. Firestar had already told all of ThunderClan about my knowledge of BloodClan, and what they are capable of doing. Yet they still think we are stronger. They are wrong. BloodClan always wins. But if StarClan is on our side, BloodClan will lose the battle.

Tigerstar ordered BloodClan to attack. No cat can boss Scourge around! Any cat who did that would die a traitor's death. Scourge can kill any cat with one flick of his claws. BloodClan didn't move, and Firestar told Scourge everything Tigerstar had done. I watched silently as my father listened, obviously taking in all the information he had just heard. Tigerstar ordered Scourge to attack once more, but Scourge mewed calmly: "My Clan fights when I order them to do so. There will be no battle today."

Tigerstar gave a furious yowl of "Traitor!" and leapt at Scourge. Idiot! It was suicidal to fight Scourge. The leader of BloodClan landed a blow on Tigerstar's shoulder, unbalancing him. _No, no, don't make me watch this again._ I pleaded silently, but Scourge slashed a claw down Tigestar's belly. A single slash down the belly was the most painful death of all, because the pain would be unbearable, yet it would take the longest time for the victim to bleed to death. Tigerstar's limbs jerked violently, and they fell still. He had lost his first life. I was thankful when he lost a life. Now I wouldn't have to watch the painful torture ever again.

But Tigerstar woke up from losing his first life, and once again, he yowled and gurgled with pain. _Great StarClan… NO!_ He was dying nine times over! When the great tabby lost his final life, Scourge looked directly at me. "Rain," he mewed. "Come and join me. Imagine ruling the whole forest, and the Twolegplace! When you were a kit, I told you that you will rule the Twolegplace after me. Now the forest is another BloodClan territory! Join me, and be the most powerful cat in the world!"

I never considered joining him, not for one heartbeat, and especially not after Tigerstar's violent death. I could feel my limbs shaking, threatening to collapse. "No," To my surprise, my voice was calm and steady. "No," I repeated. "I will never join you!"


	11. Chapter 11

chapter 10

"I can't believe I had to watch that death again," I mewed as I stretched out next to Graystripe in the warrior's den. He nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe Scourge just sliced him open like that." Scourge has given us three days to consider his "proposal" – either run away from the forest, or fight him. I wanted to fight, but every cat knows that Scourge wins every battle. Then I had an idea – maybe he would listen to me. After all, he had tried to call me back. He would take every chance to bring me back into BloodClan.

"Maybe I could convince him that the Twolegplace is big enough for BloodClan," I mewed out loud.  
"What?" Graystripe shot me a look.  
"Sorry. I was just thinking that maybe Scourge would listen to me."  
"And let yourself get ripped apart by that piece of foxdung? I won't let you go, Raincloud." Graystripe growled. I laid my tail of his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Okay, I won't go, but no cat ever wins in a battle against BloodClan."  
"We've got to try. We have two Clans joint together." Graystripe protested. An idea popped into my mind, as though a breeze blew away the leaf that covered my idea. "What about TigerClan? They've got no reason to support Scourge. After all, they have to move away from the forest too."  
"You're a genius," Graystripe purred, his eyes lit up with hope that we still have a chance of beating Scourge. "Come on," he mewed, standing up. "Let's go tell Firestar.

"You're right, Raincloud, it _is_ a good idea," Firestar mewed thoughtfully as Graystripe and me told him our idea. "I'll go over to their territory to find out. Sandstorm," he flicked his tail towards the pale ginger she-cat, who was listening curiously beside her mate. "Tell Cloudtail and Bramblepaw. Graystripe and Raincloud, come with us."

***

"Leopardstar, we'll wait for your decision now." Firestar meowed, stepping back. After many long moments, the RiverClan leader meowed: "Very well, TigerClan will join with ThunderClan and WindClan, and meet in battle with BloodClan."

***

"Okay, Raincloud, I would like you to train with Cloudtail and Brightheart," Graystripe mewed. Firestar has put him in charge of the training schedules.  
"When you're finished with that," Whitestorm put in, over hearing. "The two of you go hunting together."

I met with Brightheart and Cloudtail in the training hollow. "Okay, Raincloud, I'm going to attack you now," Brightheart mewed, crouching down. I nodded, and the young she-cat flew at me. I tried to get out of her view, but she made sure her good eye was facing me at all times. With some difficulty, I pushed Brightheart off me. She rolled in the dust. I bounded over to her, trying to get at her underbelly, but before I got to her, she was already up on her paws, and weaving back and forth, keeping me in her view. Then, she slipped beneath my paws, and tripped me up.

"How did you do that?" I asked breathlessly, scrambling to my paws.  
"I just did this," Brightheart unbalanced me once again, using the same trick. The two of us wrestled together some more, and I managed to pin her down once. Afterwards, I left her to practice with Cloudtail, and went to find Graystripe.

During the next two days, I hunted, and trained myself for the battle with BloodClan. And finally, the day of the battle came. Firestar stood at the gorse tunnel, calling all the warriors and apprentices over. Graystripe stood at my side, his pelt brushing mine, and our tails twining together. We trekked through the forest. As we neared Fourtrees, I realized with alarm that we were upwind; our scent would be carried to BloodClan, while we won't have any idea of where they were. I licked Graystripe affectionately. "Be careful," I mewed. "I don't want to loose you." He looked into my eyes, and I saw fear in them. "That goes for you too." He meowed firmly.

As the four united Clans stepped into Fourtrees, BloodClan warriors stepped forwards, with Scourge at the head of them. "We know that you're there," he snarled. "Be wise and run, or are you so foolish that you think you can fight against BloodClan?" Firestar stepped forwards. "We will not run, Scourge. We will stand and fight."

"Very well," Scourge's lip curled in a mixture of disgust and satisfaction for killing. "You do understand that you are fighting to your deaths, don't you? BloodClan attack!"


	12. Chapter 12

chapter 11

"Very well," Scourge's lip curled in a mixture of disgust and satisfaction for killing. "You do understand that you are fighting to your deaths, don't you? BloodClan attack!"  
"LionClan, attack!" Firestar yowled the command. I found myself facing a scrawny she-cat. I swipped my claws at her shoulders, and leapt onto her back, squishing her into the earth. While she was struggling to free herself, I raked my claws down her back, while she yowled for help. When she managed to push me off, she fled from the battle and I sank my teeth into her back leg. Immediately a huge tomcat took her place. Using my smaller size as an advantage, I wriggled under him, and scratched his belly, making him yowl in pain. I continued scratching, until a cat grabbed my tail, and pulled me out from under the tom. I turned around to see Fang, his eyes glinting.

Hissing, I sliced my claws down his flank. My half-brother's claws, reinforced with dog's teeth, sank into my flank. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I stood still, every muscle tensed. Fang leapt at me. When he was in midair, I moved, bowling myself into him. When he was lying on the ground, wounded, I scratched his belly a few times, and in a heartbeat's breathing space, looked around me. Firestar and Longtail were battling two tabby toms a few foxlengths away; Sandstorm was locked in combat with a warrior twice her size, and Brightheart weaved around another massive tomcat, who struggled to come up on her blind side. Hearing a snarl behind me, I turned around to see Bone attacking Whitestorm. The elderly warrior was weakening rapidly, and although I was no medicine cat, I could see that he would die if Bone kept on with his vicious blows. Letting out a yowl, I launched myself onto Bone's massive shoulders. The second in command staggered backwards, and I bit his neck. Although I missed the spine, he sank to the floor, unconscious. I jumped off him, and, helping Whitestorm to his paws, led him all the way to Cinderpelt at the edge of Fourtrees. She patted cobwebs on his wounds, and mewed to me. "You know, if you brought him here any later, he would have died."

The enormity of what I just did struck me; I saved the deputy's life! Dipping my head to Cinderpelt, I raced back to the battlefield. For a moment, no cat noticed me, and, looking around, I saw Graystripe struggling to free himself from a grip of a huge black and white tom. Shade! I had to make a choice – the cat I loved, or Shade, my kithood friend. I dashed forwards, and sank my teeth into Shade's scruff, dragging him off Graystripe. The black and white cat yowled and struggled, and finally, when Graystripe was done scratching his belly, I let go, and he limped away rapidly. A caterwaul sounded behind me, and I spun around to see a tabby tom with lean muscles launching himself towards me. Quickly, I dodged to one side, letting my claws rake my opponent at the same time. "I know you," the tabby snarled. "You're Scourge's daughter. The one who ran away." He pushed me down, and bared his teeth, preparing to sink them into my throat.

"Scourge is dead!" I heard a yowl. Turning my head, I saw Firestar panting, and standing over Scourge's limp black body. The tabby tom yowled with fear, then turned tail and fled. I scrambled to my paws immediately.

A wave of triumph and grief washed over me. Graystripe pushed his muzzle up to mine, and I knew that he realized a part of me was grieving for my father. "Oh, Graystripe," I mewed, feeling tears spill out of my eyes and soaking my fur. The gray warrior licked my face, and his amber eyes locked with my blue ones. "Raincloud," he murmured. "I know that this was hard for you." I blinked at him, relieved that he understood. "Raincloud," he mewed sincerely. "Will you be my mate?" I could hardly believe my ears! Graystripe wanted to be my mate! "Yes," I mewed back, warmth flooding through me from ears to tail-tip. Twining my tail with his, I looked towards the horizon, where the sun was peeking over the forest. For Graystripe and me it was the brightest dawn there ever was.


End file.
